And The Rain Came Back
by Cows are cute
Summary: It was empty. And quiet. Too quiet... My take on the seventeen months during Rukia's absence. One sided ichiruki, implied renruki.


The sun was high in the sky. Birds chirped around and sang their songs. It was a beautiful summerlike day. The students of Karakura high were milling about, basking in the suns embrace. It's warm orange rays lifting everyones spirits. Well, almost everyone.

Bright orange hair belonged to a man whose spirits were not lifted. It had no effect on him. The warm rays did not make him happy. There was just something depressing about the sun. _I__t gives people cancer and can make you blind._ he though to himself.

He couldn't understand why his fellow classmates were excited about the sun today. They see it every day for crying out loud! It could be because summer is close but he didn't really care. Why should he? The sun can't be present every day. Oh no, the sun will be blocked by clouds and clouds brought rain or snow. The sun would always be there in the galaxy they lived in. Just some days it's presence will be blocked.

The bell for lunch rang. He strolled down the halls and to the stairs to reach the roof. He had forgotten to pack a lunch that day. Or rather he woke up too late to even eat breakfast, much less have time to prepare a lunch. Besides, Inoue would stop by his classroom and give him part of her normal lunch.

That is when she _would _stop by...

His hand rested on the door handle that would lead to the roof. Would Chad be here today? They always said they had an errand to run or they had to do some extra work, but he knew better. Ichigo never understood why they continued lying to him. Ishida and Inoue were way too smart to be doing extra school work. Even if they were, for what reason? With Chad, it seemed more believable for him. He was that kind of person, except he would be gone or leave at the exact time Inoue did. Ichigo suspected it was to protect her in case the hollow was too much for her.

_Protect her..._

Wasn't that suppose to be his job? Not just for Inoue, but for everyone else. There could be so many souls being devoured by a hollow and he wouldn't even know. It's not that he doubted that Chad, Ishida and Inoue couldn't protect souls in danger, he knew they could. He just wanted to help sometimes.

Ichigo sighed upon stepping on the roof. It was just Keigo and Mizuiro. As always. "EEEECHEEEEEGOOOOOOO~!" Keigo wailed and began charging at him. He simply stepped to the side and allowed Keigo to nearly fall over the railing from running into it so hard. Ichigo sometimes wondered when the day he finally goes over the railing will come.

"THAT WAS DANGEROUS! WHY DID YOU STOP CLOTHESLINING ME?" Keigo screeched. Ichigo rolled his eyes and leaned against the railing next to Mizuiro. He had grown use to the brunette's antics and strangely never got tired of it. He already knew he'd get over it in a few minutes.

"Where's Chad?"

_He had some errands to run._

"He couldn't make it, said he had an errand to run."

_How did I know?_

Sighing, he focused on his shoes to prevent him to stop talking to himself. It had only been six months since the war. Six months since he lost the ability to protect anyone. Six months since he last saw Rukia. Her disappearing form flashed in his head before quickly leaving. Much like she had.

Lunch was as usual as any other day. It started to get hot but thankfully the bell rang signaling the end of lunch before he could start sweating. Chad didn't come at all but it didn't surprise him. He was growing use to it by now.

He had to eventually.

Class came and gone and soon enough, he was walking home. The teen began day dreaming as he walked alone. _I wonder what everyone is up to._ he thought while looking up at the sky. Blue skies and white clouds concealed the place he wondered about.

He'd often wonder about how the Soul Society was doing. Was Renji training? Was Byakuya still a pain in the ass? Was Kenpachi waiting for him to show up and fight? Is Rukia still a total bitch?

No matter how negative, he mostly thought about Rukia. They ranged from wondering if she was still an uptight midget to wondering if she was smiling at the moment.

He looked forward to a visit from Rukia. Surely she would fill him in on all that's happening. Tell him about her days, yell at him for no reason, be a pain in the ass, etc. Who knows? She might even bring Renji. Ichigo tripped over a rock but caught his balance. A stirring feeling rose in his chest. _Since when does thinking about Rukia and Renji make me almost face plant?_ He wondered.

Reaching his front door, he braced himself just in case his lunatic of a father decided to attack. And he was right. Ichigo repeated the same move he used against Keigo which resulted in his father flying out the door.

"GOOD DODGE, SON!"

"Welcome home, oni-chan!" Yuzu called from the kitchen. Karin merely nodded her head in his direction before returning to watching T.V. He smiled at them and went to his room.

Laying down in bed, he began to wonder about Rukia and when she'll visit.

**_10 months later_**

Today marked the sixteenth month since the war. Sixteen months since he lost the ability to protect anyone. Sixteen months since he last saw Rukia. Or anybody from the Soul Society.

Ichigo watched two people from a distance at the busy town center. A short girl with black hair appeared to be yelling at a boy with red hair. They were too far away for him to hear them but the poor guy seemed to be irritated. A small smile grew on his lips.

_They remind me of two people.._

The girl then kissed the guy. Ichigo turned away from the sight and began walking away.

_They don't remind me of anyone!_

His heart raced and he didn't get why. So what if that couple reminded him of Renji and Rukia? That means nothing to him!

Rukia kissing Renji played in his mind.

Ichigo nearly toppled to the ground at that thought. He straightened himself up and ignored the stares he received from everyone.

Why should he care? They didn't even bother to visit him! It's been 16 goddamned months and Rukia hasn't even visited him. He saw orange hair and stopped. Inoue was with Ishida near the sewing shop and they seemed to be talking. It's not that he wanted to be a stalker or anything but he sneaked around and was _casually_ standing near them while hiding in a potted plant. "...doing well?" Ishida asked. Inoue nodded at him with a smile. _Damn it! I missed some of the conversation!_

"Kuchiki-san is always glowing whenever I go or when she comes over." Inoue beamed.

"Is that so?"

"Unless smiling and laughing means she's depressed, I think so!"

"I haven't seen Kuchiki in a while now that I think about it."

"Really? She tries to come at least once every month but I visit occasionally."

"...I'm not going to go to Soul Society just to see her."

Ichigo swallowed back a lump that formed in his throat. For sixteen months, Rukia came to see them and not him. It sounded selfish but he didn't care. He began walking home. _Why would Rukia visit them and not me?_ Ichigo could understand stand why she would see Inoue. They were friends after all. Chad possibly because they were friends. Were they? But _Ishida_? Why would Rukia, a shinigami, visit Ishida who is a Quincy? They weren't even friends! Why would she visit Ishida and not him?

The sun was peaking in the sky as noon rolled around. There was sunlight every where. Its rays touched and warmed the town, a perfect occasion for ice cream. Birds sang and people were strolling around happily.

Kurosaki Ichigo only saw clouds. For him, big gray clouds blocked the suns presence. The sky was no longer blue, the sun gave him no warmth. All around him, rain was falling down. He walked in the rain that only he could see, the rain that was gone for so long.

Much like the rain, Rukia was gone too. Gone from him, but not to others. The only difference was that the rain came back to him. His precious nakama had not. _Does Rukia even care about me?_ He knew she did. Deep down he knew Rukia cared for him. But did she care for him the way he cared for her? He always noticed that she would give Renji looks she never gave to him. Noticed that she never returned his stares. Noticed that she always returned the red heads stares...

Thankfully his house was empty. It was a Sunday and his father took the twins on a stroll. Not wanting to stay cooped up inside, Ichigo decided to walk around town. Staying inside all day seemed like a good idea at the moment. He kicked off his shoes and trudged upstairs. He closed his door behind him and flopped onto his bed. _If a hollow appeared in front of my house, would I have the slightest clue?_

Ichigo sat up and stared out his window. He always left it open for he lived in a safe neighborhood, excluding the hollows that could possibly be lurking. He glared at nothing, hoping for a hollow to appear for him to kill. It was empty. And quiet. Too quiet. Not a single sound but his own breathing could be heard. No roar of a hollow and no badge to blare annoyingly to alert him of a hollow. No Rukia to shout about a hollow being there either. After sixteen months, the real reason why he always left it open was no longer a reason.

_Rukia visited them._ He still couldn't wrap his head around that. The midget of a person, the bitch that always hit him, the annoying girl, the terrible artist, the stupid old hag, the miss goody two shoes, the Chappy loving brat, the awful actress, the girl that disappeared from his life, the reiatsu that he could never sense again, had not bothered to visit him after sixteen months.

And he wasn't sure why that hurt so much or why it suddenly began raining outside.

_I will never be able to protect my friends or family again... _

Ichigo closed his eyes and laid down.

_I will never see Rukia again..._

At that moment, he didn't realize how much he missed being a shinigami. Didn't realize he tricked himself into thinking she cared for him in _that_ way. Didn't realize he never had a chance. And, of course, didn't realize how much he missed her.

Rain came in through the window, drops of water darkening his sheets in small circles. He slowly closed it and watched as it hit the clear glass. Soon enough, he dozed off with violet eyes in mind.

_**1 month later**_

"...you don't miss her?" Keigo asked him suddenly.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows together. It had now been seventeen months. Seventeen months since he lost the ability to protect anyone. Seventeen months since he last saw Rukia. Not once in those months did she bother to visit him.

He didn't give two damns if she didn't visit Keigo, or Mizuiro, Chiharu, Tatsuki or any other classmates. He didn't care at all. He cared that not once had Rukia appeared before him and say hello. His hope for seeing her again was gone. There was no hope at all.

How can he miss someone that probably didn't miss him? What reason would he have to miss her? You can't miss something that doesn't exist. Those were facts and nothing could change it.

Kuchiki Rukia did not exist in his new life.

Kurosaki Ichigo was just a normal teenage boy.

Normal teenagers cannot see Rukia.

"There's no reason too."

Seventeen months, and not once did she visit.

**A/N: Is this an overdone topic? Yes it is. I know it sucks but whatever. I guess this is one-sided and renruki. I honestly don't think Ichigo thought too much about losing his powers, just stare sadly at his friends because he couldn't be by them. I tried to make it work but well, it failed. Enough rambling.**

**GOODBYE MY LOVES!**


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